Ford Mustang: Favorite colors change for iconic pony car

DEARBORN, MI- Over the past 50 years, the Ford Mustang has remained an iconic piece of Motor City muscle.

And while the pony car, which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, may have remained in the spotlight since its birth, the preferred colors have not, according to Ford Motor Co.

Currently, Dearborn-based automaker reports black is the best-selling Mustang exterior paint color, up 10 percent over the last decade to account for 28 percent of all 2013 Mustangs sold. And only about 1.5 percent of customers between 1967 and 1973 went for black Mustangs according to historical production data provided by Marti Auto Works, the licensed supplier of Ford production records.

“Our Mustang owners are passionate about their cars, and the exterior paint color they choose invokes an emotional response to the vehicle,” said Melanie Banker, Ford Mustang marketing manager, in a statement. “Mustang owners buy a vehicle in School Bus Yellow or Grabber Blue because it reflects what they want their Mustang to say to the world about them.”

Mustang owners also don’t necessarily run with the color herd. While the best-selling vehicle color in the U.S. today is white, Mustang bucks the trend; just a mere 10 percent of Mustangs sold today are white.

However, red which has always been a popular color for sports cars (and bird droppings), accounts for nearly 21 percent of all Mustangs ever sold. One of the most traditional colors – it owned just over 10 percent of total Mustangs sold in 1967 – red Mustangs account for approximately 22 percent of all Mustang sales over the last decade, according to Ford.

Blue, Ford said, has also made a comeback recently, after dominating the early years of Mustang, reaching a peak of 30 percent of all cars in 1968 when six different shades were offered. Blue has captured as much as 23 percent of sales in recent years.

Five quick facts from Ford on Mustang colors over the past 50 years:

1- The last brown Mustangs were built in 1989.

2- Currently, black is the best-selling Mustang exterior paint color, up 10 percent over the last decade to account for 28 percent of all 2013 Mustangs sold

3- Many Mustang fans join color clubs. One of the most unique is the Yellow Mustang Registry, which was founded in 2001 and has more than 8,932 members and 8,984 registered vehicles worldwide.

4- Red has been consistently popular throughout Mustang’s history and is the top seller overall, adorning about 21 percent of all Mustangs.

5- While the best-selling vehicle color in the U.S. today is white, Mustang bucks the trend; just a mere 10 percent of Mustangs sold today are white.